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The differences between project management specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a project management specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a project management specialist has an average salary of $81,204, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a project management specialist include PMP, powerpoint and status reports. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Project Management Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,204 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $39.04 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 145,872 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A project management specialist is an individual who manages an entire project and serves as a point of contact for a client or customer. Project management specialists must provide detailed cost analysis and timetable reports to keep projects on schedule and budget. They must ask for frequent updates from all staff assigned so that they can identify potential problems that may keep projects from being completed on time. Project management specialists must also prepare progress reports of projects and create presentations for senior management.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Project management specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Management Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,204 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $112,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, NJ | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Enbridge | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a project management specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Project Management Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project management specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Project Management Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |